Ok, let me give some info from a local.
Winery Tours are a great idea, there are a bunch of them in Cape May now so I would suggest hitting them up, they are all pretty close proximity so you can either do a tour or just drive to them.
Carriage rides are not my thing, but I see plenty of people do them, so if you like them, go for it.
Trolley rides I kinda feel the same about, but at least you will get a guided tour with some history about the town.
Lots of people tend to rent bikes and ride around town, there are a few bike rental areas you can get them from.
Walk the Washington Street Mall, its small, quiet but people tend to enjoy it. Go to the fudge kitchen and see the candy you miss from childhood lol.
The Ugly Mug Bar/Food is in the mall. You can sit outside or in, its also not a bad chill place at night for few beers.
Couple other bars along the beach are Cabanas & Carneys, they are on the same block and maybe 50 steps away from each other.
The boardwalk is nice for walk/jog, there is also some shops and couple arcades and food.
The Cape May Beach is a pay beach and you will need beach tags that they sell as soon as you try to enter.
The lighthouse is nice and is located in Cape May Point, an is close to the WW2 bunker on the beach. If you go all the way down to the end of the Sunset Blvd. at the beach is where the Concrete Sunken Ship is.
The Cape May County Zoo is actually really nice, and its FREE! It is in Cape May Court House(thats the town name) if you go up the parkway North from the beach it is the 3rd traffic light on the parkway, make a left and go straight.
Food there is a lot of choices
1.) Everyone is recommending the Lobster House as will I. But here is the deal with the Lobster House, there are 2 areas. 1. is outside on the deck at the Raw Bar, you seat yourself and go get beers and food from the ordering area you get to sit right next to the fishing fleet, sometimes food ordering and pickup can be confusing for visitors, you can also go on the boat (Schooner) and eat on there with a waitress.
2. Inside, here is great food, but you are going to wait, be prepared to wait long too! Forget a reservation because they don't take them, average wait on a Saturday is 1.5 hours so honestly its really tough for dinner sometimes for visitors. If you do go inside, and want a desert recommendation, get the bread pudding! Its f'ing awesome! If you let me know what weekend you are going down, and want to get into dinner inside fast (5-10mins) give me a call, I can get you a table if I am around.(its kinda a local privilege thing since they know me)
Lucky Bones is right across the street from the Lobster House, its ok... and usually has bunch of people there too, but I am not too into it.
Other place I like is just over the Wildwood Crest bridge, its Two Mile Crab House. They have all you can eat Blue Claw Crabs for I think it was $30-35 bucks.
The restaurant someone else mentioned that is a little strange is most likely Menz in Rio Grande, its a dinner place as well, its ok.
The Washington Inn is a fancy expensive restaurant also in Cape May, owned by the same person that owns Cape May Winery, its very good but you will pay for it.
For breakfast at the beach in Cape May, go to Georges, its a tiny little place on the corner right at the boardwalk across from Uncle Bills Pancake House. Get their Banana French Toast, you can thank me later! Also, if you can't get in Goerges, Uncle Bills is a good 2nd option for Breakfast.
The Mad Batter is not too bad too.
There are a few ice cream shops around town for desserts if you want.
Hotel/Stay well if you do not want to stay in a B&B which is almost all of Cape May there is Congress Hall, which is on the beach. Might be a bit expensive though. I don't really have many recommendations for stay, there are not tons of hotels in Cape May, just shop around online and probably find one.
I'm sure I forgot some stuff, but if you want to PM me for my phone number you can ask me anything you might want to know.
JW
